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NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: BLACKHAWKS v DUCKSMay 22, 2015Brandon SaadAndrew ShawCHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Practice Day THE MODERATOR: Questions for Andrew and Brandon. Q. For both of you. One stat that jumped out last night, the Ducks blocked 27 shots. Are they frustrating you in that respect? Has it been frustrating to try to break through them? ANDREW SHAW: They're playing a great D zone coverage, blocking shots. Just means we've got to battle a little bit harder. Get pucks in the net, find ways. Get traffic there as well. We're going to have those opportunities. BRANDON SAAD: I think last night played a little too much on the perimeter, trying to make too many plays. I think when we delay the play, wait to find the perfect shot, they get a chance to get in the lane. The more we force it to the net, make quick plays, it's going to be to our advantage. Q. They said they were going to be a little more physical perhaps than they were in Game1 and Game2. Were they from your standpoint last night? ANDREW SHAW: They're a big‑body team. They're going to throw their weight around. It's playoffs. It's going to happen. We have to go up there, use speed, skate through it, keep our legs going. Q. Where do you see improvements need to be made on the power plays? BRANDON SAAD: I think, entries. With the night before, the game before, whether it was starting off a faceoff or winning a big draw and starting in zone, gives us a chance to set up and make plays at the net. Last night we were wasting too much time on our entries and turning pucks over, not getting that extra effort to get the puck in. That hurt the power play a lot. Q. Andrew, you've seen a lot of Ryan Getzlaf in the series so far. What is it like to try to defend him? ANDREW SHAW: It's a big body with speed and skill. You put all those together, it's a good combination. Have to keep working, play hard on him, play hard through the puck, out‑compete him. Q. You have been through the playoffs quite a bit. We talked a lot about experience. Approaching this game, does the desperation level go up quite a bit knowing you don't want to go back there 3‑1? ANDREW SHAW: We got to play like a desperate team: work, compete, throw everything at 'em. We got to take pucks to the net, go to the dirty areas, win those one‑on‑one battles. BRANDON SAAD: I agree. This game coming up is huge. It's pretty much a must‑win for us, especially going back to Anaheim where they have a lot of success. We play well at home. We let one slip away last night, so we got a big one coming up. Q. Andrew, moving back to center, does that change your responsibilities? Seemed like you were more free offensively in Game2. Did that change? ANDREW SHAW: Yes. You're always last to leave your zone. You're playing down low in your end, so it's hard to get on the forecheck. I got to get the legs going, get there as quick as I can, create as much offense as possible. Q. Andrew, you're a guy that does a lot of hitting. How much does that weigh on you just to do the hitting? ANDREW SHAW: It's tough. It's tough to play game in, game out throwing hits like that. It's going to wear both teams down, the guys hitting, the guys being hit. Like I said, we just got to keep moving our feet, using our speed to get through it. Q. Andrew, what did they do differently on their penalty kill between Game2 and Game3 that was so effective for them? ANDREW SHAW: They forced us. They came out hard. They didn't give us much of a shooting lane. I think with quick puck movement, those quick give‑and‑gos, I think we should have success. Q. How do you make this a must‑win, you've come back before from worse circumstances at this point? BRANDON SAAD: I just think the mentality. We've done it in the past before. It's never a situation you want to be in, especially with a team like Anaheim, the caliber they have on that team. They're a deep team, they're deadly. We don't want to get in a position where we have to fight and crawl out of a hole. We want to even it up and score on home ice here. Q. Andrew, you have a lot of facets to your game. One of them is getting the other guys angry at you. How much of that is spontaneous and how much do you look forward to and plan some of these things? ANDREW SHAW: Obviously it's a part of my game I like. Do whatever I can to help the team. If it's drawing a few penalties, getting us on the power play, getting someone off their game, I do whatever it takes to help the guys. Q. Both teams are in the same boat after a multiple overtime game. This is the third time you've lost the game after that. Is that just a coincidence because the game after that you've won the first two times? Are you looking forward to feeling fresher the next game? Is it to your advantage or disadvantage when the play is ragged? ANDREW SHAW: I think we're excited for the next one. Going to go out there and give it everything we got, be the team with our back up against the wall. That's always the most dangerous team to play against. Yeah, I mean, coming out of a triple overtime game, it's tiring for both teams. We have to have a better start than we did last game. Q. Brandon, Frederik Andersen, I don't know how much you knew about him before this started.  We didn't know that much. He's really good. Are you rethinking any approach you took into the series at this point? Is there a new way to get at this guy? BRANDON SAAD: I think what I touched on before is he's a great goaltender. Not only do we have to get in front of him and bang in rebounds, they're blocking shots, playing a good defensive game in front of him. On top of a great goaltender, that's a tough team to score on. You see where we have stints of it. I think in Game2 with Shawsy in front of the net, Kruger in front of the net, we have to get more competitive in front of the net to bang in rebounds. He's a tough goaltender to beat on the first shot, especially when he sees the puck. Q. Andrew, when you look at their fourth line, the youth it brings, how does that change the dynamic when you have a fourth line with speed and skill? ANDREW SHAW: That's what it takes to win championships. You have to have a depth game. All lines got to contribute. They got some great players out there. They're young. They're excited. They're flying around. They're making plays. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, guys. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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